Wednesday, December 5, 2012

News: Cathy Lee Crosby WONDER WOMAN (1974) Coming To DVD... Next Week

Not too long ago, I wrote about the 1974 Wonder Woman television movie/pilot that starred Cathy Lee Crosby as DC Comics' star-spangled Amazon princess from Paradise Island. At the time I actually mentioned that I thought it would make a good candidate for DVD release by Warner Brothers' manufacture-on-demand Warner Archive Collection.

Well, apparently, someone was listening.

On December 11th, Warner Archive will be releasing Wonder Woman on burned-to-order disc:

Before Lynda Carter took the heroine back to World War 2 for her “New, Original” incarnation in 1975, statuesque tennis pro-turned-performer Cathy Lee Crosby swung the magic lasso in a very different TV incarnation of Wonder Woman. As developed by scribe John D.F. Black (Star Trek), and seemingly influenced by her recent turn as a mod, cat-suited crime-fighter in the pages of her DC Comics home, this Amazon Princess was more superspy than superhero. Still, many of the expected wondrous elements from bracelets and lassos to Paradise Island and invisible jets all make an appearance, albeit with a sleek, seventies espionage super-action refit. Three years before taking up residence on Fantasy Island, Ricardo Montalban (Star Trek II: The wrath Of Khan) plays laconic lothario Abner Smith, who lurks at the top of the conspiracy to make off with ultra-secret code books – leading Agent Prince to discover an Amazon sister-in-exile (Anitra Ford).

Although not a 70s show, fans of superhero television may be interested to know that Warner Archive will be releasing the second season of the 80s syndicated Superboy series on the same day. (I happen to be a fan of that show, so I'm excited by this news, as well.)

Neither title appears to be available at the Warner Archive site as yet, but I'm sure they'll be listed shortly. Needless to say, I'll be trying to get my hands on a copy as soon as I can, and when I do, I'll post a full review here on the site.

I remember one stand-out line from this show. Ricardo Montalban has WW in his (extensive) library, and she asks if he's actually read the books. He very laconically replies "Something around two-thirds, I think."

Not sure why, but that line always stuck with me. (I might have mis-remembered the exact quote, but that was the gist).

ABOUT THIS BLOG

This blog is dedicated to the science fiction films and television series of the 1970s - give or take a few years (say, 1969-1983) - including such nostalgic favorites as Star Wars, Space: 1999, UFO, Space Academy, the original Battlestar Galactica, Jason of Star Command, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Logan's Run and many others.

But be warned: I still love these productions with all the enthusiasm I held for them as a kid, and they will be treated here with affection and respect. If you're looking for someone to snarkily denigrate "old" movies - or like to do that yourself - you've come to the wrong site.

So journey with us back to the days when special effects were created by skillful hands and spaceships were detailed models, when robots were obligatory comedy relief, when square-jawed heroes and cloaked villains battled among the stars -- and the future was fun!

PLEASE NOTE:I do not sell (nor even buy, all that often) the memorabilia and merchandise I write about on this blog, nor do I have any idea what value your "collectibles" might have. That's not what this site is about, so please don't ask me.

ABOUT ME

Christopher Mills is a professional writer of comic books and short fiction in a variety of genres, as well as a DVD reviewer for several pop culture websites. His taste in entertainment clearly peaked when he was about 15, which certainly explains his embarrassing obsession with James Bond, hardboiled crime fiction, comic books, paperback pulps, space opera, Universal/Hammer/Toho Monsters, sword & sorcery sagas, old genre TV shows and vintage B-movies.

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Reviewing genre DVDs Since 2005

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